I've been looking around at new boats and really like the F21's, they were priced around 65k decently loaded for our boat show price and wondered what thers had seen? I also finally got a chance to view the axis line and was very disappointed with how the looked and felt very cheap. So I'm definately gonna look harder at the MB options since pricepoint could probably be in the 50's I'm hoping and I don't want to buy used.

I've heard the f21 has great surf and wakes, but how are they at a slower speed for kids or begginers?

you won't get a "clean" wake under 20.5. But you'll get one side clean no prob, so I'm not sure how big of a deal that is for kids and beginners. Are there really kids that are spending years going wake to wake at 17?

I've never noticed the 21's having any difficulty cleaning up at low speeds. I'm approx 200 pounds, and my go to speed on the a 21twb was full ballast at 21.5, and it was nice and clean, both sides. It gets even better with a few hundred pounds in the nose. I'd assume the F21 is going to be similar. I've ridden a number of different wakes (supra, mastercraft, nautique, centurion, malibu, tige), and the 21TWB is without any doubt my favorite. For beginners or kids, unweighted will be just fine, and with the pure vert, either filling or emptying the ballast is easy if you need to switch it out for different riders. For what it's worth, I do not and never have owned a MB.

Ryan..where are you located, just curious as the price you are quoting for a 21 tomcat is the same price I can get a 23 twb here In texas. I know freight can be a cause for higher prices depending where you are but that still seems a little high.

Bill, what options are your boats down there equipped with or is that for the base(still pretty loaded) boat with the 5.7L motor? Also, do you add freight and prep on top of the 65k?

the 65k price Ryan is talking about including freight and prep, heater, transom lights and trim plate. For the boat show there was also a grand in store credit that could be used for service, accessories or pro shop.

I am just trying to make sure we are talking apples to apples in the comparison.

I will confirm what Shaun said about low speed wake. I owned a 21 TWB and a 21 F21 (same hull in both). You will not get a clean wake until around 20.5. If you have young kids who are learning, it's not a particularly friendly wake. However, if you kids are already experienced riders, then you will love the wake at 21mph +

You are right about the MB vs. Axis comparison... MB interiors are much nicer. But the Axis has a better low speed wake, if that's your thing.

As for pricing... I can't believe what Seattle market gets away with. That is all.

Oh, one more thing. This thread needs a pic, so here's a shot of my last F21 (she now lives in AZ). Lots to love about that boat.

IXFE, it looks like that tomcat had the wake plate. Did that help at all to keep the wake clean?

Good question, Brett. That's a common misconception about the MB trim tab (notice, I didn't call it a wake plate).

A little bit of history on that plate. It was not originally designed as part of that hull. Back in 2009, MB was adamant that the new TWB and F21 did not need a "wake plate." In a way, they were right as the stock wake w/out a plate is fantastic above 21mph (weighted or unweighted).

The need for a plate arose in 2011 when some customers complained to the factory that at high elevation the boat took too long to plane. So MB started experimenting with the plate. You actually won't see any MB's earlier than 2011 late builds with the plate (although many MB owners have retrofitted their boats with them).

MB's trim tab (aka quick plane cavitation plate) became widely available in 2012. I believe it's a $1,500 upgrade. While originally added to help the boat plane quicker, it has a side benefit on the 21' MB's... drop the plate even just 1/4 of the way it eliminates the porpoising that the boats exhibit at 30+ mph. This was the reason I got the plate on my last MB. My earlier '09 TWB porpoised badly. Problem solved with my '12 F21. The plate also really helps the boat cut through chop (e.g. when you are cruising back to the dock on a wind blown day).

Now... the reason I tell that story is because I think the backdrop helps answer your question, Brett. The hull was not designed to use/need a plate for wake enahncement. In fact, it RUINS the wake if you put it down at any speed. It basically creates a rooster tail and washed the wake out no matter what the speed. This surprised me when I got mine. Like most, I assumed it would help "shape" the wake like so many other boats. This is why it's not called a "wake plate."

Another nice benefit of the plate... even when it's all the way up, it helps the surf wake by knocking down the wash that's typical on the port side. Weird, huh? But so true.

So if you add it all up... the "quick plane cavitation" is a must have on the 21' MB's. Shaun says it's not necessary on the 23 TWB, and I believe him.

Great info guys! Part of the reason I like the MB's is the finish work, the boat just seems like great quality. What other options in the 50's are there with quality at a reasonable price? We don't have many dealers in the area and stock is pretty limited to look at usually. If any of you live in Washington state you would understand that its hard to pay more than 50k or so for a boat that sits most of the year!

IXFE, not trying to dispute your experience but I am wanting to be more informed.

When you say the wake curls over under 21 mph is that with no ballast and at what line lengths? Does the entire wake curl over all the way up towards the boat?

I don't think I said "curl over." What I mean is that it will be washy below 20.5mph. This is actually a fairly common observation on the MB (and many other boats for that matter). I'm certainly not the only guy who's commented on it.

When I demo a new boat, before I load it up or do anything else, I set the speed control at 18mph and try the boat unloaded for just this reason. If it's clean, I start dropping speed to see how low I can go. On the SA450 I got it down to 17mph before it washed out. That surprised me!! My kids are 13, 11, 8, and 7. So it's a big deal for us. Even my wife doesn't like riding faster than 20mph.

MB's are great looking boats...i love my F21 there is alot of room for a 21 foot boat and for the price you cant beat the quality, wake and look.....have you looked at any used 2012's i got a good deal on mine $48k with 100hrs

MB's are great looking boats...i love my F21 there is alot of room for a 21 foot boat and for the price you cant beat the quality, wake and look.....have you looked at any used 2012's i got a good deal on mine $48k with 100hrs

Sounds about right... I sold my 2012 last year for $49.5K and it had 60 hours (and every factory option)

dealer here is at 58900plus tax. it's a flat price and no negotiations. just an fyi for comparisons purpose. I do remember seeing a dealer in portland post up a similar boat for around a grand less.
crazy that same exact boat below(dealer here orders them all exactly the same) was 54900 for 2012's.

I had a chance to speak with Mike B yesterday at the DFW Boat Show and there are some good changes coming down the line on the F21 2014 models. If you can wait I think it will be worth your while. I will say that with the changes we may see another small increase in pricing though.

Mike was very pleasant to talk to and made me feel like I made the right choice on my boat. I will be ordering a new one in 2015.

I had a chance to speak with Mike B yesterday at the DFW Boat Show and there are some good changes coming down the line on the F21 2014 models. If you can wait I think it will be worth your while. I will say that with the changes we may see another small increase in pricing though.

Mike was very pleasant to talk to and made me feel like I made the right choice on my boat. I will be ordering a new one in 2015.

One of the things I love most about going to the boat show is the chance to talk to folks like Mike. We met him last year at the Sacramento boat show...told my wife, "hey Honey, see this MB? Well, this is MB.". lol. He was a great guy, very unassuming. Also have chatted with Shawn Murray in the past, and had Zane spend 20 minutes walking us through a Mastercraft at one of the shows. It's nice to still get that level of access.

DatTexasBoy- did they mention anything specific as far as changes? I would be curious to know what they had in mind for surfing and wake shaping.

I'm not looking for used at the moment and yeah I could wait if somethings worth waiting for! I looked at some of the other options that might be better at low speeds for families like the VLX and the prices are just too high for the amount of time I spend on the lake. So if I sacrifice low speed wakes for an extra 20-30k, I think I'm ok with that for now.

Has anybody owned both the WB and the Tomcat? I'm just curious what the main differences/benifits are between the two beside the obvious looks?

I owned a 2009 TWB 21 and a 2012 F21 Tomcat.

The hulls are exactly the same. The wake characteristics are the same.

The difference is the bow (obviously). There is also a subte difference in the width of the cabin. While they are both 100" beem, the TWB has narrower gunnels than the TWB by a few inches. So the interior of the TWB is wider than the F21. It's hardly noticable, but it's there.

That's tough question. We purchased our '09 TWB off the lot. Obviously we liked it enough to buy it. But the F21 was a custom build so we got to choose colors and load up on more options. Also, the F21 had the long list of improvements that MB made in 2012 model year (nicer interior, tower/rack fixes, trim plate, etc.).

I suppose if you normalize for color and options, I'd choose the TWB over the F21. I just like the look/profile a little better. Totally subjective.

The real gem in MB's line-up is the TWB 23. I think it both looks and performs the best.

I haven't owned both bit I ride in the 23 and tomcat 21 all the time. The 23 has a slightly different wake(a tad taller and little more pop from what all the guysbinride with say). Other than that there isn't much difference other than 2 ft longer and 200 lb more ballast

Went to Texas Mastercraft last Friday with my buddy to get his F21. It appears you can negotiate the price down to the mid 50's without much argument. We met the owner of MB (Mike) at the dealership and he signed the underside of the glovebox lid of buddy's F21. Mike also said there will be a pretty cool upcoming changes in the Spring for MB. The stock (loaded) wake is pretty dang sick even down to around 21mph...very vertical. The F21 turns very flat/level at full throttle without cavitating. The boat just rails. Throttle seemed a little touchy as soon as it went into gear but we got used to it quick.